Earlier this year, Google rolled out a new open-source architecture for the development of blazing-fast, mobile-friendly webpages. Known as Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), is essentially a framework that webmasters can use to build webpages. It lives up to its “accelerated” and “mobile” namesakes by focusing on reduced load times for smartphone and tablet users.

What Exactly is AMP?

The AMP HTML is essentially regular Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) with AMP properties, such as restrictions for greater performance as well as extensions to build rich content outside the realm of standard HTML. The AMP JavaScript is a library used to render the AMP HTML. And as you may have guessed, AMP Cache is used to serve cached AMP pages, preventing visitors from having to download previously viewed AMP pages multiple times.

Is AMP Worth it?

Some webmasters may be skeptical of using AMP, viewing it as nothing more than unnecessary step in website development. But if you’re a web developer, using AMP can enhance your efforts in more ways than one.

For starters, AMP pages are optimized for mobile viewing. Studies show that more users now access the Internet on smartphones and other mobile devices than traditional desktop computers. Webmasters who overlook mobile compatibility will lose a significant chunk of their potential traffic. But you can ensure your website functions properly in mobile devices by using AMP.

According to Google, AMP pages load 4-8x faster that “traditional mobile-optimized pages.” They also use roughly 8x less data than their counterpart, making them a particularly attractive choice for users with limited bandwidth and data caps.

Google has also cited a case study, indicating that the Washington Post has seen 88% faster load times and 23% more returning visitors on mobile devices after adopting the architecture.

How to Get Started

You can check out this guide for more information on how to get started building webpages with Google AMP. If you have experience with HTML and web development, you shouldn’t have any problem learning the concepts of AMP.

After developing your first AMP page, you’ll need to check and make sure it features valid AMP. This is done by accessing the page in your web browser and adding “#development=1” to the URL. Next, open the Chrone DevTools console to see if the page has any validation errors. If there are any errors present, you must fix them; otherwise, Google won’t discover and distribute the page.